Tag: maldives

President sends letter to Libyan rebels, calling for modern Muslim democracy

President Mohamed Nasheed has pledged the Maldives’ support to the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) in a letter yesterday, recognising the rebel group as the “sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.”

The letter, which was sent to NTC chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil, expressed the President’s hope that Libya would “emerge as a free and democratic country, in which fundamental human rights can be enjoyed by all.”

In recent days, Libya’s six-month long revolution against dictator Muammar Gaddafi came to a close when NTC rebels seized Tripoli. Currently, Qaddafi’s whereabouts are unknown and over thirty foreign powers have recognised the NTC as Libya’s legitimate representative group.

President Nasheed noted in his letter to NTC chief Jalil that the Maldives was among the first three countries to recognize the NTC. Iraq, Morocco, the US and European Union member countries have also recognised the group, while Russia and China do not recognise the NTC as Libya’s only legitimate representative but are still engaging in talks with NTC leaders.

Ethiopia and Nigeria have called on African Union member states to recognise the NTC, and Hamas had declared its support of the rebel group.

The President’s Press Secretary, Mohamed Zuhair, said today that “The Maldives is in favor of democracy, and feels any government should recognise the voices of its people. We are continuing our support of the Libyan rebels, and asking other countries to do the same.”

Zuhair said the Maldives was one of the first Islamic countries to experience a democratic revolution. In 2005, the Maldivian people began the uprising that ousted former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008.

“The same thing that is happening all over the Arab world has already happened here,” Zuhair said. “We are ahead of them, and we can share our experience.”

The Maldives, which has been a Muslim state for over 900 years, has one of the longest traditions of shariah law in the Arab world, said Zuhair. He said the Maldives encourages the Libyan NTC to apply democratic norms and values, and to use many small elections as they build a modern Muslim democracy.

“The Maldives would like to see Libya become a modern Islamic democratic state that is fully functional,” said Zuhair.

Colonel Gaddafi was only 27 when he took control of Libya after a military coup in 1969. His 42 years of power brought wealth to Libya, but his reign was also characterised by erratic policies and terrifying punishments. When the revolution began in February of this year, Gaddafi reportedly said, “Muammar is the leader of the revolution until the end of time.”

Earlier this week, the NTC reportedly placed a US$2 million bounty on Gaddafi’s head.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

China leads Maldives’ 18 percent tourism boom

Over 700,000 tourists visited the Maldives in the first seven months of 2011, the majority of visitors from China.

The Tourism Ministry has released data showing that the number of tourists who visited the Maldives between January and July 2011 increased by 18.3 percent to 520,483. This was compared to the 439,864 tourists who visited the Maldives during the same period last year.

Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) Secretary General, Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, told Minivan News that the timing of Europe’s economic decline matches that of the growing Chinese market. Asia’s high season corresponds with Europe’s low season, he said, and resorts are now catering more to Chinese tourists to keep business up.

Jamal also noted that airlines such as Qatar Airways had increased direct service to the Maldives in the last 10 months. He also noted that more airports are being constructed closer to resort islands, such as in Baa Atoll.

“The President has also decided to increase the marketing budget from US$1.5 million to US$7 million, since we expect the industry’s growth to continue,” said the MATATO secretary general.

Statistics show that Chinese tourists dominated the market in the first seven months with 103,734 individuals, accounting for 19.9 percent of the total arrivals. The United Kingdom was the second-largest contributor to tourism arrivals, composing 11.7 percent of the market.

Jamal forecasted “phenomenal growth” in the Chinese market, and estimated that the Chinese would account for 40 percent of the total tourists in coming years.

The Maldives currently hosts over 100 resorts boasting a total of 22,000 beds. Jamal said 3-4 more resorts were currently under construction, and noted that it was important “to always have excess demand and limited rooms to keep the appeal of the Maldives up.”

Secretary General of the Maldives Association of the Tourism Industry (MATI), Ibrahim Mohamed Sim, was more guarded on the issue. Sim told Minivan News that “we are holding steady in growth, but the market looks mixed since the decline of the US economy could affect our traditional European markets.”

Italy and the UK, formerly leading contributors to the Maldivian tourism industry, have declined, said Sim, but Germany was holding steady.

Sim said the demand from China was significant, and that the Maldives “is in a very lucky position to have the chance to meet that demand.”

Sources in the Chinese media and Mandarin-language tourism forums have meanwhile noted the rise of practices such as segregation of Chinese visitors from other guests at meal times.

Sim commented that although he did not believe there was segregation, the Chinese “stand out, they come here for a different reason than most tourists. They do not come here to sun tan, they come here to see a different place.” He noted that some resorts were also designed to specifically appeal to different groups.

Another recent event in the Maldives’ tourism industry was its withdrawal from the New7Wonders competition.

Jamal told Minivan News, “we think it was a loss that the Maldives pulled out. New7Wonders was a marketing tool, and major tourism companies were competing for the award.”

However he said he did not think that the Maldives’ decision had affected the tourism industry.

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

NSPA says Madhana won’t cover new clinic rates

National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) Director, Ibrahim Waheed, has told Haveeru that the Madhana health insurance scheme will not cover increased fees at private clinics. The government lifted control of clinic charges this week.

Earlier this week, an informed source told Minivan News that the clinic fees were likely to stay within the scope of the Madhana’s program.

NSPA reported said the Madhana program only covers the rates currently charged at hospitals and clinics. Any excess charges after the current Madhana rate will have to be paid for by the patient.

Haveeru News reports that some clinics have agreed to keep their current rates, to protect their clients. However, those clinics that want to increase their prices will be required to stop providing insurance services.

Clinics are still required to give the government a month’s notice before implementing price changes.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

PG charges Shahum with terrorism through gang violence

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office has charged Ibrahim Shahum Adam with terrorism through gang violence, alleging that he murdered 17 year-old Mohamed Hussein and 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer.

Haveeru reported that Shahum denied the charges and again asked for time to find a lawyer.

Shahum was recently sentenced to a year in prison for attacking a student in an Imam course they were both studying. If convicted on terrorism, he faces execution, banishment or life imprisonment.

Haveeru reported that following today’s hearing, Shahum threatened journalists present that “you should consider your own safety.”

Likes(1)Dislikes(0)

Mass resignation of expatriate staff at Thaa Atoll Hospital

All expatriate staff working in Thaa Atoll Hospital on the island of Veymandoo in Thaa Atoll have resigned following a strike over visa and financial issues with the Health Corporation.

Assistant Manager and spokesperson for Thaa Atoll Hospital, Midhath Naseer, told Minivan News that the hospital’s doctors had submitted their resignations, which were accepted on Sunday.

“On Sunday there was no doctor at the hospital, but the next day at 12:00pm we replaced all the doctors by bringing them in from Laamu Atoll and nearby islands. They have started working and the hospital is fully functioning,’’ Midhath said. “We arranged it so that any patient with a critical condition could receive services.”

Midhath said the major issue was that the expat doctors’ visas were not renewed before they expired, which made it difficult for them to return to their home countries in urgent cases.

‘’One of the doctors apologised to us and withdrew the resignation,’’ he said, adding that the doctor had now rejoined Thaa Atoll Hospital.

He said the expat doctors and nurses who resigned had also complained about being included in the pension scheme, which lowered their wages.

Atoll Councilor Abdulla Shareef told Minvan News that the resigned doctors and nurses were still on the island and that he did not know when they would depart.

‘’They met us recently, but since the Health Corporation has accused the Atoll Council of politicising this issue after we met with them, we are not involved in this anymore,’’ Shareef said. ‘’But the council thinks that we being the Atoll Councilors have the authority to meet with them anytime they request.’’

Shareef said that he did not have any official information about the resignations.

The doctors and nursing staff working at the hospital – which is almost entirely staffed by expatriates – declared themselves on strike on Sunday, and met with the atoll council to discuss their issues.

Haveeru reported that head of the Atoll Council, Shareef, had told the paper that the Health Corporation was counting staff as having used their vacation days despite staff waiting in the Maldives for their visas to be renewed.

Doctors and nurses told the council that in some cases their vacation days were all but spent by the time they actually reached their home country.

Shareef also told the paper that the hospital was using expired medicines imported during 2004 tsunami, and that doctors were being blamed for not having enough medicine in the hospital.

Meanwhile, an Indian gynecologist working at the Hoarafushi Health Centre in Haa Alifu Atoll has declared that she will “never come back to the Maldives” after two masked islanders attacked and gagged her on Monday night.

“They broke in to my room with their faces covered, holding knives, and they tried to attack me,” the doctor told Minivan News yesterday. “I could only see their eyes. It was like the worst nightmare I have ever seen.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Committee to probe 2003 Maafushi Jail shooting

A second investigation of the 2003 Maafushi Jail shooting has been launched by a special committee appointed by President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet.

The committee includes Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam, Attorney General (AG) Abdulla Muiz and Defence Minister Thalhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaan, and will investigate the incident that took place on September 20, 2003 – a watershed moment following the death in custody of Evan Naseem that led to street riots, the declaration of a state of emergency, and ultimately, the introduction of multi-party democracy and the eventual ousting of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

An investigation was previously conducted by a special commission under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The censored results were published in January 2004, and 12 prison guards were sentenced to death. Captain Adam Mohamed, the commanding official charged with ordering the shootings, was granted clemency by Gayoom. Subsequently, the sentence of the prison guards was commuted to 25 years in jail.

In June 2011, the case was re-opened and three of the former prison guards, who were living at large, were sent back to jail.

State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem previously told Minivan News that he regretted sending the convicted men back to prison after a long period without clear legal action.

“If [the former administration] had not freed them from prison, by now they would have served most of their sentence and could have even possibly applied for clemency,” said Naeem.

However, he did say that the action of the former administration had not only violated the rights of the convicted, but also those of the victims.

“When the victims who survived that time see these convicted people roaming around the streets, how do they feel? It is unfair for them,” he said at the time.

An individual who was imprisoned at Maafushi jail at the time of Evan Naseem’s death and the prison shootings spoke to Minivan News about the renewed investigation.

“I think they need to find out who ordered the torture of Evan Naseem–was it the highest ranking officer, or a lower officer? This has been delayed too long now. We have to have proper justice to move ahead,” he said.

The source added that a lot of information surrounding the incident had been censored, and said he wasn’t sure that “the right people” had been sent back to prison.

“I think it is wrong for the one who complied with the order to take the punishment. It should be the one who gave the order,” he said.

Former President Gayoom at the time was also Minister of Defence and National Security.

The former Maafushi prison guards involved in the shootings were recently re-arrested for the 2003 event. The source said several senior prison officials had informed him at the time that the order to shoot on September 20 had come from the top.

The shooting occurred after inmates broke out of their cells “to learn the details of fellow Evan Naseem’s death”, the source said.

The source told Minivan News that he could hear people being tortured from his cell, and that he had also heard these sounds on the night that Naseem died. His own cell was secure at the time of the riot.

“This army man was controlling us, and he said it was nothing. But we knew some things were happening. I knew, because I saw people jumping off the wall from my cell.

“When they opened the door to the block to bring the breakfast things we kept asking the guards what was happening but they would tell us nothing. Finally, we asked the guards to please open the gate so we could see, and at that time we saw a lot of people lined up on the beach in handcuffs. By the evening the army came and took control of things. Then, an inmate said ‘let’s burn this place down!’, but I said, ‘No, let’s work to get free. We are not going to burn the prison.’ I told him not to do anything, but he said ‘Let’s use [force].’ I said, ‘Let’s negotiate.’  So we negotiated.”

Following the shooting, 19 inmates and one officer were reported injured, and three inmates were reported dead. 15 of the 20 persons wounded had been shot above the knee.

An English translation of the initial investigation, provided by the Dhivehi Observer on January 24 2004, described the prison break as “not an emergency situation,” and determined that the use of weapons against the inmates was “neither a proportionate response nor a reasonable means of control.”

The report, which was filed by the former administration’s special commission, further stated that inmates were partially excused for the alleged riot “on account of the fact that they were acting on deep grief and frustration and did not appear to intend further harm [other] than demanding an investigation into Naseem’s death.”

Naseem “died due to grievous hurt caused to him by some personnel of Maafushi Jail Security System,” stated the report. The report further notes that inmates at Maafushi Jail had requested to meet with a security officer from the Department of Corrections several times after learning of Naseem’s death. Captain Adam Mohamed was assigned to this meeting, but chose to ignore it; he was the captain that the inmates confronted with their questions during the outbreak. The investigation report states that the captain “did not offer any reasonable response to those questions.”

CCTV recordings of the prison’s Operations Room and the block in which the initial outbreak took place had not been preserved for the investigation, and no Event Log Book had been used by officials, the report claimed.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Bridge needed between Male’ and Hulhumale’, says President

President Mohamed Nasheed has said it is necessary for the government to built a bridge connecting the islands of Male’ and Hulhumale’ to improve transportation and development on both islands. This statement was made after the President presented documents of guarantee to flat recipients in Hulhumale’, as provided by the Veshi Fahi Male’ de-congestion program.

The President said a ferry system was insufficient to accommodate the growing populations on both islands.

The Veshi Fahi Male’ housing project is expected to add 10,000 flats to Hulhumale’. 8,000 flats are currently being constructed.

2500 flats were said to be built under Phase 2 of the Gulhifalhu development project, which is set to begin next month, reported the President’s Office.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

National Security Committee to summon former President Gayoom

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has proposed summoning former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to the parliamentary National Security Committee yesterday over his alleged involvement in US$800 million worth of blackmarket oil trade with Burma.

The Hulhu-Henveiru MP, a member of the MDP-dominated committee, proposed summoning Gayoom and other senior officials of the former government suspected of involvement in the secret trade conducted by the State Trading Organisation’s (STO) Singapore branch.

Moosa’s proposal was backed by other MDP MPs as well as minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla.

Moosa told Minivan News today that the committee will summon Gayoom after gathering necessary information.

“Because this is a very serious issue and it is a serious allegation, it requires the committee to question him and other persons believed to be involved in this black-market oil trade,” Moosa said.

On August 2, a resolution calling for an investigation into the allegations submitted by MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa was sent to the National Security Committee, which began deliberations at its meeting yesterday.

National Security Committee Chair MP Ali Waheed told press yesterday that the committee decided to send out letters to the relevant authorities in the Maldives as well as Singapore to gather information.

Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) Z-faction MP Ahmed Nihan meanwhile told Minivan News that the committee’s decision was a “psychological attack” on the party’s ‘Honorary Leader’ (Zaeem) Gayoom.

“The committee does not have any sincerity in their work, it is all about the personal grudge that Moosa has for Gayoom,” Nihan said. “The committee does have the authority to summon persons and inviting former president to the committee is nothing to be concerned about.”

Nihan suggested that the committee should also investigate allegations that the committee’s chair MP Ali Waheed – former Deputy Leader of the DRP – received US$2 million by defecting to the ruling party.

“The committee should also investigate the allegations that there was corruption in the US$21 million Thilafushi project that Moosa is conducting,” Nihan said.

He added that opposition MPs would soon submit a resolution calling for an investigation into President Mohamed Nasheed allegedly consuming alcohol in front of Indian journalists in December 2008.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

BML suspends Vilingili branch employee for alleged fraud

An employee at Bank of Maldives (BML) in the Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Vilingili branch has been suspended on allegations of fraud.

The bank did not identify the employee to the press.

A person from the island told Haveeru that the employee had allegedly sent a forged letter to the branch manager in the account owner’s name, requesting that Rf 2,000 (US$130) be transferred to another account.

It is believed that the money was transferred to the account of one of the employee’s friends.

The fraud came into light when the account owner’s mother went to the bank to withdraw Rf 2,000 only to find that the amount was not available.

“When the bank told her that the account did not have that much cash in it she objected, stressing that her child had deposited the amount. The employee was suspended after the bank tracked down the transaction,” the person said.

In a statement forwarded to Haveeru, the bank said employees found responsible for the fraud had been suspended and that the bank, like any other bank in the world, sometimes faced cases of staff fraud.

“But given the millions of transactions made at the bank annually, the numbers of fraud cases are considerably less compared to global rates of such incidences,” the statement read.

The statement further noted that the mechanism necessary for customer protection is fully established at the bank and that a system, which allows the tracking of transactions and all customer-employee exchanges, is accessible at all times.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)